Sports
Jeremiah Smith and Wide Receiver U’s Rose Bowl Legacy
Sep 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) goes for the ball with Marshall Thundering Herd defensive back Josh Moten (1) during the first quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images Columbus, Ohio, is the official location of Wide Receiver U., but Pasadena, California, is where Ohio State pass-catching legends have made some of their biggest impacts. Jeremiah Smith added his name to the list.
It’s a list that prominently features fellow Buckeyes Cris Carter, David Boston, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith’s performance in a 41-21 Rose Bowl Game rematch against Oregon had shades of all three of these Ohio State wide receivers.
Like Boston in the 1997 Rose Bowl, Smith scored a pair of touchdowns that were instrumental in denying a previously undefeated West Coast counterpart its national championship dreams.
Now, Boston’s second touchdown against Arizona State at the conclusion of the 1996 season came with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter; Smith’s first and most pivotal touchdown came just 60 seconds into the Granddaddy of ‘Em All’s 2025 installment.
However, that 45-yard reception from Will Howard set the tone for the most impressive win of the College Football Playoff thus far.
Another scoring grab of 43 yards early in the second quarter put an exclamation point on Smith’s sensational day and effectively buried the Ducks. With Ohio State building a 24-0 lead on the second of Smith’s touchdown grabs, then extending that advantage to 34-0, the freshman phenom’s contributions were not needed much in the second half.
Had the 112th Rose Bowl Game played out more like the 109th, when Ohio State and Utah went to the wire in a 48-45 shootout, perhaps Jeremiah Smith would have seen a workload on par with Smith-Njigba’s Granddaddy record-setting 347 yards on 15 receptions.
As it stood on Wednesday, though, Smith left Pasadena setting a different Rose Bowl record: His 187 yards on seven catches set the game’s record for a freshman.
The previous holder was another Buckeye, naturally. Cris Carter went for 172 yards in 1985.
With the record, Carter also gave Smith a meaningful endorsement on social media, posting: “Best WR in college football wears #4.”
And with No. 4 playing his best football at the end of what has been a remarkable freshman season, No. 8 in the Playoff bracket looks like the best team in college football.
In Playoff wins over Tennessee and Oregon, the Buckeyes romped by an average of 22.5 points per game. Smith cleared 100 yards in both and scored four of his 14 touchdowns on the season in the postseason wins.
Never mind etching his name into Ohio State’s illustrious Rose Bowl Game history: Smith is fast becoming one of the most noteworthy contributors in the annals of Buckeyes national championship history, a legacy that has seen just eight teams claiming crowns in program history.
While the parallels to be drawn between Smith and those predecessors like Boston, Carter, or Smith-Njigba are undeniable, the current Buckeye is creating his own legacy. Ohio State coach Ryan Day explained after the rout of Oregon:
“Whether it’s players or coaches, it’s easy for everyone to… not quite put him in a box, but sort of categorize them based on somebody who has come before,” Day said. “Jeremiah is his own person. And I think the way that he’s come in from the get-go, he had a look in his eye that he wanted to make an impact as a freshman.”
It’s fair to say Smith has more than made an impact and has instead set a standard. Whether it’s in three years like Smith-Njigba’s record-setting day vs. Utah, almost 30 years like Boston’s heroics vs. Arizona State, or 40 years when another Ohio State freshman perhaps set the Rose Bowl receiving mark, Jeremiah Smith’s name will be invoked among the all-time Buckeyes greats.
Sports
Report: Giants planning to release LB Bobby Okereke
Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) leaves the field after losing to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images The New York Giants are planning to cut inside linebacker Bobby Okereke in a cost-saving move, The Athletic reported Saturday.
Releasing the seven-year NFL veteran, who turns 30 in July, will save the Giants $9 million against the 2026 salary cap.
Okereke has led New York in tackles in two of his three seasons with the team, including 143 stops in 2025 and 149 in 2023.
Okereke added one sack, two interceptions and one fumble recovery in 17 games (all starts) for the Giants in 2025.
He has recorded 805 tackles, 7.5 sacks, seven interceptions and 11 forced fumbles in 110 career games (95 starts) with the Colts (2019-22) and Giants. Indianapolis drafted him in the third round in 2019.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run
Feb 22, 2026; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick rounds the track at EchoPark Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images AUSTIN, Texas — One of the few things that wasn’t startling about Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Circuit of the Americas was Tyler Reddick’s run for the pole position.
Negotiating the 2.4-mile road course in 97.760 seconds (88.380 mph) in the second qualifying group, Reddick claimed his third Busch Light Pole Award in six attempts at the track. He will lead the field to green in Sunday’s DuraMAX Grand Prix Powered by Reladyne (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Of course, there’s more at stake for Reddick than simply a victory at COTA. In winning at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta last Sunday, the driver of the No. 45 Toyota became the sixth Cup competitor to start a season with two consecutive wins. No driver has ever won three straight to open a season.
The 23XI Racing driver acknowledged that the pole position, the 12th of his career, is a positive first step toward that goal.
“It helps the chances, certainly,” said Reddick, whose series-best average finish of 4.6 at COTA includes a victory in 2023. “I think starting up front is huge.”
Michael McDowell led the first qualifying group of 19 drivers with a lap at 88.031 mph but fell to sixth soon after the second group took to the track. Ultimately, Ross Chastain posted the second-fastest lap at 88.256 mph (97.897 seconds) and will start on the front row beside Reddick.
The shocker was not that Chastain, the 2022 COTA winner, fashioned an excellent lap. What was surprising was that his two Trackhouse Racing teammates, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch — both vaunted road course racers — failed to crack the top 10 in qualifying.
Van Gisbergen was 13th fastest on his third lap. Zilisch could do no better than 25th. Van Gisbergen is seeking his sixth straight road course victory in the Cup Series, a mark that would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for most consecutive road course wins.
Chase Briscoe (88.242 mph) will start third, followed by Ryan Blaney (88.179 mph) and Chase Elliott (88.161 mph). Elliott leads active drivers with seven road course victories.
Behind McDowell in sixth, AJ Allmendinger qualified seventh, followed by defending race winner Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and William Byron.
“We’ll see how it gets going,” Reddick said. “Certainly, Ross, Shane, Ryan Blaney-there’s a number of good drivers who were really strong in practice today. We’ll try to understand what that all looks like and make our best decisions on the car and everything.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Warriors F Gui Santos signs multi-year extension
Feb 25, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) passes the ball as Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small (10) defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos signed a multi-year contract extension on Saturday.
Specific terms were not disclosed by the Warriors. However, ESPN reported it was a three-year, $15 million contract extension with a player option in 2028-29. Santos was in line to become a restricted free agent prior to this extension.
Santos, 23, is posting career-best averages in points (6.6), rebounds (3.2) and assists (1.7) in 48 games (13 starts) this season.
He is contributing 4.9 points, 3.0 boards and 1.4 assists in 127 career games (15 starts) since being selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
–Field Level Media
Report: Giants planning to release LB Bobby Okereke
Tyler Reddick starts bid for 3rd straight NASCAR Cup win with pole run
